NIMAI KESTEN

ABOUT

Nimai Kesten, is a self-taught multidisciplinary conceptual artist whose work explores the relationship between art, politics, religion, and institutional corruption. Mixed-media installations and sculptures include recognizable symbols of power, religion, nations, and violence to express the corrupt reality of good intentions. Nimai Kesten was best friends with Alexander and Stephane Venet, the twin sons of French sculptor Benar Venet and art dealer Ella Venet. When he wasn’t visiting Bernar’s studio on Canal street he was learning how to articulate his own voice with painter Susan Rothenberg whose husband was noted artist Bruce Nauman. As a result, Nimai developed his own pictorial language to comment on society, injustice, and politics.

“Revealing corruption by religious and political groups is a common undercurrent in my work. I want to confront the viewers on a variety of levels from subtle messages with a personal history with the Hare Krishna movement, to my portrait paintings offering a painfully honest and soulful glimpse into individuals victimized by these religious organizations.” - Nimai Kesten